Problems with access to free treatment in Elista's hospitals have given rise to criticism of the Ministry of Health of Kalmykia.

Appointments with a therapist in Elista have to be waited for up to a month, and free CT and MRI examinations – up to a year, a local resident complained on social media. Other residents of Elista, commenting on his complaint, also spoke about the long wait for doctors and the need to pay for medications and treatment out of their own pockets. They criticized the Ministry of Health for problems in medical institutions.

Residents of Elista criticized officials for the long wait for medical assistance

According to a resident of Elista, to visit a therapist, he has to make an appointment a month in advance, and for free computer and magnetic resonance tomography, he has to wait about a year. Tests for HIV and hepatitis B and C, as the city dweller claims, are only available for a fee of almost two thousand rubles. As a result, residents of Elista are forced to spend money on medical services from their small salaries and pensions.

"For free MRI and CT, the wait is one year!" – wrote a resident of Elista. He also doubted that the authorities were unaware of the problems with access to medical assistance. His appeal was published on October 28 by the public page "Heard in Kalmykia" on the social network "VKontakte".

As of 12:50 Moscow time on October 31, this post on the social network "VKontakte" on the page "Heard in Kalmykia", which has about 125.6 thousand subscribers, received 402 reactions and 74 comments.

Other local residents also spoke about the long wait for medical assistance and the consequences of untimely visits to specialists. About the death of her father, which, according to her, occurred while the family was waiting for doctors, Marina Sarangova recounted. "While we were waiting for these doctors, dad died. This is the kind of medicine! This is the kind of queue! They don't care about people's health. I told them, while our turn comes, a person can die. And that's what happened. What words can we use to describe our doctors?" – she wrote.

"You are sick now, but you can see a doctor in two weeks by appointment," – complained Erika Mikhailovna.

About the unsatisfactory reception after a long wait for a specialist, Adelaida Ivanova reported. "You wait for about three weeks to see a narrow specialist, and in the end, this specialist is busy talking on the phone. He won't explain anything, just hands you a paper: go and read it," – she wrote.

Other commentators complained about the need to pay for examinations and the lack of doctors. "This is Kalmykia, here medicine is paid, buy everything at your own expense, even to take tests – you have to pay, otherwise they won't hire you," – pointed out Elvira Mandzhieva.

About the lack of opportunity to timely get a free appointment with a doctor, Lyubov Godina indicated. "Because this money has already been privatized, and we are forced to pay, and you still can't get an appointment with a therapist, we have come to this, there are not enough therapists, and what can we say about narrow specialists, capitalism in all its glory," – she wrote.

The shortage of specialists forces patients to travel outside Kalmykia, Antonina Mandzhieva reported. "Lyubov, indeed. There is no hematologist. Sick people have to travel to Volgograd," – she informed.

Other participants in the discussion criticized the organization of medical assistance and the actions of officials. "It's chaos... We are issued tickets to doctors as if two million people live in Elista! I understand that in big cities, such order may be needed, but there are many fewer of us in Elista," – wrote a user with the nickname Peter the Great.

"I don't understand why medical policies were distributed?" – asked Maria Bogdanova.

The Ministry of Health of Kalmykia responded to the complaint in the comments to the publication. According to the ministry, the waiting time for a planned consultation with a specialist should not exceed 14 working days, and appointments are opened daily. Tests for HIV and hepatitis C can be done for free based on medical indications, and examinations for hepatitis C are also provided as part of preventive examinations for certain age groups. Residents who have to wait longer than the established deadlines or who are denied free examinations were offered by the Ministry of Health to send information about the institution and the date of the appeal for verification.

The problem of the shortage of doctors has been relevant in Kalmykia for a long time

The issue of the shortage of medical specialists was mentioned in the report for 2024 by the human rights commissioner in Kalmykia. According to the information from the republican Ministry of Health presented in the report, the shortage of medical personnel amounted to 202 doctors, including 148 in Elista. In addition, the republic lacked 154 mid-level medical personnel, of which 131 were in the capital of the region.

"Caucasian Knot" also reported that residents of Kalmykia had repeatedly complained about the shortage of doctors, difficulties in obtaining medical assistance, and the need to purchase medications at their own expense. For example, on August 27, 2021, patients in COVID hospitals complained about the lack of medications and unsatisfactory conditions for treatment. "Most of the medications, even saline solution, patients buy themselves," – a patient of the observation ward in Elista Maria Dzhambinova told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot".

Another resident of Elista reported that treatment in the COVID hospital cost him approximately 90 thousand rubles, of which 80 thousand he spent on purchasing the prescribed medication. The press secretary of the Ministry of Health of Kalmykia then confirmed to the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot" that due to the increase in the number of patients and the shortage of certain medications, patients sometimes had to buy medications themselves.

In April of the same year, a deputy of the Elista City Assembly Elena Gorodnichaya linked the shortage of medical specialists in the republic to low salaries and the lack of affordable housing. "I talked to doctors – many leave because the salaries are low," – she told the correspondent of "Caucasian Knot". According to the deputy, doctors could not afford to buy or even rent an apartment, and the republic did not provide them with housing.

Residents of Elista had previously reported problems with free diagnostics and the shortage of specialists. For instance, in July 2011, a city resident Vera Neberkutya complained to the mobile reception of the President of Russia about the inadequate provision of medical assistance to her child. According to the woman, for a year, doctors could not identify a heart disease in her child, which was later diagnosed in Stavropol. She also spoke about paid tests prescribed before an urgent operation and the shortage of free specialists in Elista.